Adventures in domesticity, an ongoing series

Since I had so much luck getting rid of our nasty carpet and putting in tile, I set my sights on the grimy and aesthetically unpleasing linoleum in the kitchen. It was fugly to begin with, and in no way matched the new floor. Rip it out! I said. Tiling is easy!

Oh, gentle reader. Tiling is easy. Ripping out linoleum is not. The linoleum is gone now, but the papery backing and adhesive are all over the floor. Boiling water seems to loosen everything nicely, but that still means scraping the cement clean an inch at a time. We had to pry off all the quarter-round molding to get the lino up, and that will have to be replaced. While poking around under the cabinets I gained a deeper understanding for how flimsy they are. And in the middle of the floor we found what appears to be a seam of liquid leveler, which has now chipped up to form a little canyon across the kitchen.

The terrors that I found under the stove I can't begin to name. (Not to mention that my mom and I weren't willing to try disconnecting and moving the gas stove by ourselves, so horrors and a linoleum square remain.) There was something that appeared to be a dust-crusted, mummified Hello Kitty toy, which I can only assume had lain there, undisturbed and dreaming black dreams, since the house was built. Who knows what evils I've unleashed upon the world.

And for my next adventure, I get to rip out the rest of the carpet on the stairs!

Further adventures, now with pictures

This was the dining room before we moved in. This is the dining room now. (But with a lot more clutter and cats.)

This was the kitchen. This is the kitchen at the moment.

Eventually, the kitchen floor will match the dining room. The next step will be getting rid of the green kitchen walls. I can't replace the counters, but I can paint over the crappy fake-wood cabinets. The walls will be white, but what can I paint the cabinets that won't clash with the crazy green marble counters? I want something light, to counter the oppressive counters, but I dread the scrubbing involved with white cabinets. Cream? Light yellow? An inoffensive beige? (Is there an inoffensive beige?) Brilliant suggestions, anyone?

And, because the internet is fueled by cats, Rose and Dorothy.